Author: nickcollins3698

Yes, we’re all well aware of how the 4thquarter of Game 1 of the NBA Finals ended. A missed free throw that could have given Cleveland the lead. JR gets the rebound… and, well, decides to dribble away from civilization (and a shot at a win). This historic mental blunder ate at the Cavaliers, and they proceeded to lose in overtime.

Even if JR went for the shot and missed it, it would have been the right basketball play. Maybe the shock that his teammates (and the world) experienced does not occur if he makes that right play, and they are composed going into overtime. Nevertheless, we cannot rewrite history (or rewire JR’s brain).

Recency dominates our lives, and JR Smith will unfortunately dominate the news for the time being due to his mistake. The last 5 seconds of regulation were a historic example of a team losing a game it had in its hands, but it is not the first (nor will it be the last) example of this occurring.

Here are some other examples of victory changing hands in the craziest of ways.

After a long-fought series versus LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavilers, the Boston Celtics came up short in Game 7, losing in the Eastern Conference Finals for the second consecutive season. Do not let that first sentence dictate your view on what was otherwise a remarkable season.

As the 2017-2018 season winds down for the Boston Celtics, you cannot help but have positive thoughts about the future. The team is set to finish second in the conference, which would guarantee home court advantage through the first two rounds of the playoffs. They are on pace to finish with 55 wins, 2 more than the team had last season. Young studs Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have played remarkably, filling in the role created by the injury of wing Gordon Hayward, and Al Horford and Kyrie Irving were All-Stars. Injuries aside (and there have been many), the core at hand has many gleefully looking towards the future.